With the increasing need for faster data transfer rates, the transition from electrical to optical signaling in data processing is inevitable. Copper cabling cannot keep up with the upcoming data center bandwidth requirements, for applications such as multimedia streaming and high performance computing. One technology that could enable true optical communication is silicon photonics. read more…

Yield and cost have always been critical factors for both manufacturers and designers of semiconductor products. Meeting yield and product cost targets is a continuous challenge, due to new device structures and increasingly complex process innovations introduced to achieve improved product performance at each new technology node. Design for manufacturability (DFM) and design process technology co-optimization (DTCO) are widely used techniques that can ensure the successful delivery of both new processes and products in semiconductor manufacturing. In this article, we will discuss how 3D (3 dimensional) DTCO can be used to improve product yield and accelerate product delivery dates in semiconductor manufacturing. read more…

New variability issues highlighted by a massive process simulation exercise could make it more difficult than expected to achieve the performance advantages of emerging 7nm and 5nm processes.

Nano-electronics research centre imec has worked with Coventor to simulate the process variability of its 7nm BEOL fabrication processes using Coventor’s SEMulator3D virtual fabrication platform. The simulation of a full process window, looking at how multiple parameters of multiple processes interact, would have taken one million wafers to complete using conventional methods.

I was interested to note that Silvaco has recently listed SEMulator3D as a competitor for their VICTORY Process Cell software on their website. It’s great to be mentioned as a contender in the TCAD process simulation space. But I’d like to take the opportunity to examine the following question – are SEMulator3D and VICTORY Process Cell really direct competitors?

On the surface, both SEMulator3D and VICTORY Process Cell can do some similar things. Both tools are fast, layout driven process modeling engines that are designed to build 3D models of MEMS and semiconductor devices. Both tools can model individual process steps or entire process sequences, and can model a variety of process and device types. And both tools can create meshes suitable for further physics simulation.